Is alt-country dead? If more people listened to Kathleen Edwards, people wouldn’t think so. Edwards helps give life to the genre by blending her style with her musical influences. The album’s opening track “In State” is one of the best songs that I’ve heard in a long time. The rhythm and pace of the song are perfect, as is Edwards’ lush vocals. Her vocals are a treat in the gentle and serene “Away” and in the Dolly Parton-inspired “Independent Thief.”

Cat Power seems to be a huge influence on Edwards, and it shows in tracks like “Old Time Sake” and “What Are You Waiting For?” One could even detect some R.E.M. in “Summerlong.” Kathleen Edwards is a very versatile artist, although the average country fan would wish that she would make more songs like “Back To Me,” which is the most country song on the album. But music fans won’t wish for anything more than Edwards making more albums like Back To Me.

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